The U.S. Department of Transportation this week said it would accede to airline requests to extend by 45 days to June 14 a new requirement for carriers to post flight delay data on their Web sites.
DOT's concession now is open to a public comment period, ending March 25. The proposed extension follows a number of complaints led by airline lobbying groups, chief among them the Air Transport Association, which last month told DOT its members would need on average five-and-a-half months to comply with the new mandate—putting their compliance well beyond the original April 29 deadline
(BTNonline, Feb. 2).
Those DOT requirements are part of a set of rules announced in December to bolster air passenger protections, which also includes a provision that requires airlines allow passengers to deplane if tarmac delays exceed three hours
(BTNonline, Dec. 21, 2009).